Erweitert mustu seyn.

program note

Under the title ›Die Rose‹ two epigrammatic poems of Angelus Silesius (1624-1677) are merged into a single composition: Ohne warumb and erweitert Mustu Seyn. They are taken from the collection ›Cherubinischer Wandersmann‹ (1675), respectively from Section I, no. 289 & Section II, no. 106.The epigrams are appealing by the simplicity with which the inscrutable is clearly and concretely understand in mystical-theological way. The metaphor of ›the empty heart‹ (Erweitert mustu seyn) represents in this choral work the space and the void. That of the rose (Ohne warumb) the flourishing and just blossoming of music, of melody, which projects itself in this empty space.The 16-voice choir is split up into eight groups in order to make the rotation of different musical and textual elements more clearly audible. Both tones and noise are among the elements that move through the choir and sometimes ›bloom‹ into a melody or a chord.The music is dedicated to my parents, alto and bass in one of the many wonderful choirs abundant in the Netherlands. Chris Bremmers knew to find these appropriate texts of Silesius immediately for me.